Zero

by R. E. Carr

  Steve nodded. “Minerva told me that one of our servants had ratted out Ren to the Matsuoka that he was trying to run away. She said she had a plan with Mina and Georgia to try and save Mr. Lambley, to make him feel like a hero, with the added bonus of getting a little revenge on a snitch, but it was really some cover-up, right.”

  “I wasn’t a snitch, you know,” Gail said, stealing a sip of his spiked blood.

  “You don’t say. I—”

  “I was a spy and a traitor, actually. I used to steal all sorts of information about vampires and give it to those trying to fight against them. I found out about all the experiments vampires were willing to do on people, and I decided enough was enough. I even helped your sister.”

  “Minerva is many things, but she isn’t a traitor to vampirekind,” Steve scoffed.

  “No, but she cared about this one guy - the guy that happened to be working with me and the others to help stop vampires.”

  “If you’re about to say that you were actually in league with Ren—”

  “I was in league with Ren,” Gail said flatly. “Like I’ve said before to god knows how many people now, there was an experiment known as Project Zero, a plan to transfer and reanimate a dead vampire in a new body. Look in your own mom’s notes if you don’t believe me. She stole them from Merlin.”

  “Yeah, I know about all this. We get it, but—”

  “I am the one who administered the infusions. I tampered with the dosages, and gave Ren steroids so he survived the last procedure but I got caught. Minerva had me transferred over to the sheriff’s little mind-wipe party so I wouldn’t be killed. All of this mess was my reward.”

  “Some reward,” Steve muttered between slurps. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I thought you snitched on Ren back then. I should have guessed it was too neat and tied up with a bow, but honestly, I thought they were just gonna hide you away somewhere. I never predicted all this mess—”

  “I know. Hell, I couldn’t have predicted all of this, and I was there. I was there at the beginning. It’s coming back to me, and it’s worse than I ever thought.”

  “Oh really? How could it possibly be any worse? Ren is gone and Georgia is off to the lion’s den. Then again, maybe we’ll get lucky and Arthur will bite her and drop dead. Ren’s still alive, so maybe—”

  “You don’t get it, do you?” Gail asked. “Jesus, did you even know Ren? Did you ever pay the least bit of attention to him?”

  “What kind of question is that?”

  “Look, I used to work on the inside with Ren and his mother to try and find a way to get payback. All three of us hated vampires more than anything. Reiko, his mom, she thinks that I got caught before I could administer enough antibiotics to kill the vampire growing inside Ren. They put Arthur in him in pieces. What you saw in Long Beach was just the final treatment, and what you don’t know is that Ren isn’t some helpless victim in all this. Don’t you see, he volunteered—”

  “That’s ridiculous. Come on.”

  “I remember it all. He just wanted the vampire weakened. He told me that the only way to truly destroy them all was from the inside. He’s never forgiven the vampires for torturing his mom, for enslaving his family. He wanted to be right where he is.”

  “Well it backfired, Arthur took over. Ren lost.”

  “Did he really? I’m not so sure. I mean, you’re still Steve and I’m still Gail. Whatever part of us is human is still here, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah but we’re normal vampires, not some full-grown dead one shoved in a still-living body—”

  “And Jonathan is still Jonathan.”

  “But you said the blood thing—”

  “It’s still a theory. What I’m saying is, what if that cruel, heartless vampire isn’t actually Arthur at all?”

  “That’s ridiculous. That would mean that Ren is—”

  “Maybe the only thing holding him back from getting his revenge was Georgia . . . the last person he really cared about.”

  Steve’s eyes widened. “And I took that person away. I’m the one that made the monster.”

  “To be fair, I think he was pretty hell-bent on revenge and monstrous before you got there, but take it from me, if they do erase the blocks in his mind, I have no idea what all is going to happen anymore. If he’s half the mess I am . . .”

  Steve drained the cup and laid back on the bed. “I need to rest up. I’m going to get my strength back and go after her, and then I’m going to punch some sense into Ren before he does something we all regret. Work for you?”

  Gail nodded. “I’m scared. I found out another tidbit in my research. One by one, the others who worked with Ren on Project Zero - Dr. Langer, Dr. Iwashi, and Dr. Pang have all ended up dead. Pretty much everyone is dead except for Merlin . . . and me.”

  “Because you were wiped out of his memory by the sheriff?”

  Gail nodded. Steve sighed again and closed his eyes.

  “Well, now I need to rescue Georgia, knock sense into Ren, and get you away before he remembers he has to kill you too. I mean, do you really think that Ren . . . I guess he has gone a little far into the crazy pool now, hasn’t he? If I were you, though, I’d stick close to the werewolves. I’m probably not going to succeed. Actually, I’m probably going to make everything worse before I die spectacularly, but at least I’ll die trying.”

  Gail leaned over and gave him a tame kiss on the lips. Steve opened one eye and gave her a strange look. Gail merely shrugged in return and walked back toward the door. She did pause and give him the tiniest of smiles.

  “You know, Georgia’s not the only one immune anymore. If we actually survive this mess, I’ll at least have a drink with you.”

  “Now I know things have gotten weird.” Steve said softly as she slipped out of the room.

  36

  “This is so weird,” Georgia muttered, as she stared at the pair of bunny statues still tucked in the tiny window boxes in front of a Brookline brownstone. The red begonias had been replaced by rainbow zinnias, but otherwise the charming townhouse tucked near Coolidge Corner looked remarkably the same.

  “You’ll need this,” the sheriff, still dressed in a Gail Filipovic suit, said as she produced a key from her purse. “Mr. Sugar took the liberty of confiscating all the things you left in London.”

  “Did he find my sanity, or the two-hundred-thousand dollars?”

  “The money yes, but that’s being applied to your travel tab. As for sanity, I somehow doubt it will help you here.”

  Georgia slipped into the vestibule. She smiled at the take-out menus stuffed in the mailbox, and the familiar chips and cracks in the tile. The only difference was an inner iron-barred security door left open. She peeked past it, through the familiar tinted glass window. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the edge of the matching food and water bowls by the stairs.

  “I wonder if they still let Nicolette check on Schrodinger,” Georgia whispered. Her eyes lit up as she saw a familiar fluffy form the moment she turned the latch. For one moment she forgot about the ancient vampire standing behind her and immediately knelt down to scoop up the mountain of meowing orange fur.

  “Mommy missed you!” she exclaimed as the cat nuzzled her and began to purr. The sheriff meanwhile, stood deathly still, melding into the shadows of the hall. She raised a finger to her lips before sinking further into the recesses of the room. Georgia stiffened, as she heard footsteps coming from the kitchen.

  “Mr. Lambley?” she called weakly as she saw a pair of bright green eyes in the recesses of the hall. “Is that . . . you?”

  “I knew you’d come home,” a soft, British-accented voice said. “It was . . . your destiny.”

  Georgia clutched onto her cat and took a few steps back. She focused on the shiny black shoes and crisp gray suit drifting out of the shadows. She waited as long as possible before daring to look at the heartachingly familiar face of Ren-Arthur. He smiled, showing off the fangs.

  “Why are you here?” Georgia
asked.

  “Because I knew you’d be here. Just as my sister has her spies, so do I. She really has pissed off a lot of people, including some that are related to her. I assume she’s hiding somewhere around here. Don’t worry, I’m not here to deal with her yet. I’m here to deal with you, Mrs. DeMarco.”

  A second figure slipped out of the shadows behind him. A pair of red eyes stared at Georgia from under a sweep of pale blonde hair. Georgia gasped.

  “Minnie, what happened to you?” she asked, as she saw the Jaeger’s arm in a leopard print sling. An angry gash cut across her collar all the way to the cleavage. “Are you—?”

  “She likes to play with the dog. He’s just not very well trained yet so accidents happen,” Arthur sighed. “Of course, Minerva plays a little rough, so the dog is at the vet and couldn’t be here with us. Pity.”

  “Where’s Mr. Lambley?” Georgia asked, daring to take a step forward this time. “What have you done to him?”

  “What have I done to him?” Arthur asked, clutching his chest in mock-horror. “I am not the one who abandoned him when he needed me most. I’m not the one who ran away from my responsibilities, Mrs. DeMarco.”

  “Stop calling me that. Please.”

  “Why? Is it somehow untrue? Did you get a divorce and I not hear about it, or are you deeply, fundamentally bothered by the concept?”

  “I just prefer to be called Georgia. I’m a modern woman and don’t like to be defined merely as a wife,” she said, finally daring to look him right in the eyes. Arthur made the mock pearl-clutching gesture again.

  “Well, heaven forbid I insult you after everything we’ve been through. By the way, I still hate the hair.”

  “Good.”

  Arthur smiled and looked past Georgia, instead scanning every shadow for the slightest flicker. “You know, faking your death was inspired, Morgana. You nearly ripped all our father’s work apart with your chaos and your wars. Is that what you wanted? Did you get the spite out of your system? I really hope you did. I mean, I’m a bloody soldier and I’m sick of all this incessant fighting. Can you hear me, Sister?”

  “I’m here alone,” Georgia said flatly.

  “Nice try,” Arthur said, now pacing around her. “Listen, the choice is simple, my sister, leave me this one, and I will overlook this transgression. I know why you brought her here. Did you honestly think that you could distract me with a cheap imitation of my beloved? I know what you want. You want me busy and confused, so that you can continue to poison our son against me. Yes, I figured out the previous pathetic trick almost immediately. I just hoped if I showed a little honor, a little mercy, a little compassion that you would see that I have the best interest of everyone at heart, Morgana. I’ve changed, but I can see that you haven’t. I suppose it’s back to the old tactics then. Sister, if you leave now I will show mercy to your other sons. Think of your two precious younger boys. Consider this good bargain. I will have my account settled with either Mr. Steven DeMarco, or Mrs. Steven DeMarco. The choice is yours.”

  There was a flicker from the shadows. The front door slammed shut a moment later. Arthur smiled and turned back to the stoic Georgia. “She really only had one possible choice, I’m afraid.”

  “What do you want, Arthur?”

  The vampire hung his head and rubbed his temples. For one moment, he adopted a decidedly Ren-like pained expression. “I need to be done with you, Georgia,” he said, biting his lip. “I am sorry . . . but I cannot do what must be done with any more distractions. Crude copy or not, you do . . . command an unacceptable amount of attention. It’s like you’re a cancer, gnawing at the back of my brain. Something back there keeps telling me to go to you, to take your hand, to . . . well, it doesn’t matter. If you had only stayed out of my way, you could have had that ridiculous asshole for yourself, and lived out the pathetic rest of your days with him, but you had to come back. You had to taunt me one last time.”

  Arthur leaned in closer, his face still drawn and pained. He put his left hand on her shoulder, but she didn’t flinch.

  “I’m not here to taunt you. I came back for Mr. Lambley. I need to make things right.”

  He put his other hand on her shoulder and leaned down to look her right in the eyes. “You will make things right. After all, your pathetic little adventure with our kind started here. It’s only appropriate that it ends here as well. I have to do this; but I also need you to know, that it actually has nothing to do with you, Georgia. I’m afraid you really don’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things. This is more a lesson for that arsehole you married, and for my grandson . . . because in the end, he really has been nothing but a disappointment.”

  Tears welled in Georgia’s eyes. “Ren—”

  “Ren Matsuoka is dead,” Arthur sighed. “You went to his funeral. It’s a shame he won’t be able to attend yours.”

  “Arthur, darling, please,” Minerva said, taking a tentative step forward. “She’s just a human, and there are those in your family that are rather fond of her.”

  “There is no more room for distractions, schatzi,” he said sweetly, but his eyes told a far colder story. “Although - take the cat. I know how fond you are of them.”

  “Schrodinger!” Georgia cried as the blonde vampire scooped him up with one hand. Minerva brought the kitty’s head to her lips. Tears welled in Georgia’s eyes as she looked away.

  “You know, I think I will save him . . . for later,” Minnie said, tucking the cat awkwardly into her sling. Arthur dismissed them both with a wave. Minerva gave Georgia one last passing glance, and then slipped away.

  “A moment of sympathy, from the heartless bitch. I say, you do still surprise me, Georgia,” Arthur said, nodding appreciatively. He pointed toward the stairs. “I think he’s still in the bathroom, I’m afraid.”

  “What did you do to Mr. Lambley?” Georgia asked slowly, keeping her eyes locked on Arthur even as he paced again.

  “I didn’t do anything. Minerva, on the other hand, had this crazy notion that she could fix all these nasty walls in our heads. She thought that she could bring back the memories that your husband stole from us. Strangely enough, she was right and her cure seems to have worked - but I wasn’t going to test it on myself now, was I?”

  “Mr. Lambley!” She cried. A soft moan echoed from upstairs. She heard the clatter of bottles hitting the tile floor upstairs. “Mr. Lambley, it’s Georgia!”

  Arthur walked past Georgia and into the vestibule. Her eyes widened as he jerked the metal door free. He slipped around it and slammed it shut, locking her inside with the moaning creature. Arthur shook his head and smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, not every buried memory is a pleasant one,” he said as he turned to walk away.

  “No, Ren!” Georgia called. “Mada ikite iru!”

  Arthur paused. His eyes softened just a little as Georgia held her breath. Finally, he tilted his head in that infuriating Arthurian way. “I’m sorry, but I have no idea what that means.”

  The tears welling in Georgia’s eyes finally began to flow. The door slammed and all the lights flickered in the house as there was one more moan from upstairs.

  “Mr. . . . Lambley?” she gasped, as she saw another pair of green eyes glowing in the dark.

  37

  “Could you say that one more time?” Paige asked, as she stood in a weed-covered parking lot at the edge of Nashville’s downtown. She looked up a brick facade, surrounded by scaffolding, and a huge ‘Coming Soon’ sign.

  Maria DeMarco waved proudly at her handiwork, and gave a little nod to some particularly muscular men with power tools working outside the side door. Paige gave her mom another expectant look.

  “I got back in touch with your father’s attorney, and said I was finally willing to take an alimony settlement. Between that and a generous donation by the House Jaeger credit line, we got this place.”

  “You bought . . . a restaurant?” Paige asked. Her jaw dropped further as she saw an RV pull into the lot, with a pair of ve
ry familiar faces behind the wheel. “Billy! Sammy!”

  As it turned out, the Winnebago was only the start of the caravan, as a beaten-up truck and a few sedans rolled into view behind it. Kyle and Maria flanked Paige, while Toy ran ahead to meet the troops.

  “A restaurant,” Paige muttered, shaking her head.

  “With a state of the art kitchen, oh - and a basement dungeon for our times of the month,” Kyle said.

  “It’s a lot less suspicious ordering pigs’ blood if you have blood sausage on a menu too,” Maria added. “It’s more than just a restaurant Paige - it’s our cover story, and I’ve cashed in every favor with every food-blogger, critic, and Instagram-whore I can manage. Kayleigh and Toy are slipping stories everywhere. Within weeks we’ll be buzz-worthy, and hopefully all over the Internet with as many pictures as possible. Don’t you see? The more people notice us the harder it will be . . .”

  “For the vampires to do anything to us openly,” Paige finished. “Mom, you’re amazing!”

  “I’m so glad she thought of it,” Kyle said, with an eye roll. Paige jumped up and gave him a kiss on a cheek, prompting a set of strange looks from the werewolves pouring out of cars. Sam Black, in particular, raised a brow.

  “So, are you just gonna openly admit that you’ve switched sides, or what, Red?” the not-quite-Native-American-but-he-could-play-one-on-TV beefcake said. Sam smirked a little. “It’s OK though, I upgraded. Turns out, I managed to land someone smarter than you.”

  “Excuse me?” Kyle said, dumbstruck. Billy and Toy hugged and jumped on their tiptoes, squealing with delight and gossiping as if no time had passed. The side door opened and three complete strangers poured out of the camper.

  Paige cocked her head as two rather diminutive Japanese folks, clad in all black, took a few timid steps toward the DeMarco crew. Kyle’s jaw dropped as he took in the petite woman with cats-eye glasses and unusual emerald-green eyes.

  “Is that Dr. Reiko Nakano?” Kyle said between gasps.